Nintendo Redivivus: how to resuscitate an old friend

Raising your old 8-bit Nintendo system from the dead

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Introduction

Ah, the venerable Nintendo Entertainment System. Thanks to this wonderfully advanced piece of 8-bit hardware, a large number of us gamers got our start in gaming at a young age. Then we went off to college, where we spent less time playing and more time trying to get the damn console to work. The frustration of getting your favorite game to work without wiping your save game, or restarting it after the screen turned to junk 15 minutes into the game; ah, the memories.

To be young again, and to have a pristine NES. A lucky few are fortunate in that their NES STILL works fine regardless of its age, or perhaps they have found a top-loading Nintendo on eBay. However, your NES will eventually have a problem loading games ? even the top-loading version. If you're like me, you're tired of blowing on the cartridges, swabbing alcohol on the game connectors, or just plain physically abusing your Nintendo until it works. Whatever your preferred method, you'd just like it to work without any futzing around, right?

Never fear. For less than $20 and the use of some tools you already own, or you can bum off the neighbors, your Nintendo can be as good as new.

You will need a few simple things to fix your Nintendo. First, a few tools probably within a few feet of where you're sitting now: a Phillip's head screwdriver and a pair of pliers. [Supposedly, some Nintendos use a star or a proprietary Nintendo-only screw head. If this is true in your case, try to find a screwdriver that will work. If you cannot find something that works, you may have to drill the screws out and get some new ones. I've done this changeover on three NES's and have only seen Philips-head screws. If you know what models have Nintendo stars, let me know at ronelson@vt.edu] Alongside the pliers and screwdriver, we're going to also need a saw and tinsnips. I would suggest a small "mini-hacksaw", as we need a saw that's not going to be too big for the Nintendo's insides. We will also need a solder iron and the requisite skill for its use. If you've never soldered before, you might want to pick up a desolderer and a solder sucker, in case you slip up. Alternatively, you could go the safe route and just ask another someone who knows how to use the iron to help you out.

The very last piece we'll need is a new connector to replace the one inside of the Nintendo. There are two ways to acquire such a connector: if you have a Game Genie, there's a connector inside of it (as an aside, you may have noticed that when you play a game with the game genie, even if you don't use codes, it's more likely to play without any fuss). If you don't have a Game Genie, you can order a connector online from Newark Electronics, part number 50-36SN-12. Other sites recommend ordering via telephone rather than their web site. I ordered via the web, and received a confirmation within 24 hours, but it was nearly two months until it was delivered. My credit card wasn't charged until right before they sent it, however. I don't know if you'll have any better success if you decide to call them, so the choice is yours. The part was a mere $3.94 and the shipping cost was approximately $7. So, for under $15, we should be good to go. At that price, feel free to order two of them: we'll have to do some bending of pins and it's easy to yank a pin out if you're not careful.

The lineup:

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Before we begin, I should note that the original connectors on the Nintendo are set up to point forward. The replacement ones we will be using will point toward the back of the NES, and require us to cut a hole in the Nintendo's casing. If you don't mind cutting a hole in your NES, you'll also be rid of that annoying push-down holder that you used to have to put the games in. If you're still interested, continue reading.

The first step is removing the case from your Nintendo. As you proceed, I suggest using a few pieces of paper and some tape. Draw a diagram of the portion of the NES you're dismantling and where each screw goes. After 15+ years stuck together, you might have a hard time convincing the rear right screw to fit properly in the front middle spot. Flip your Nintendo over. You'll notice six holes, three along the front and three along the back. Take the screws out, flip it over, and remove the cover. Your Nintendo should look something like the one below.

Next, we will need to remove the eight screws holding that aluminum shield on top ? once you take off the shield, you'll see the motherboard and a few things on top of it. The first order of business is to remove that annoying loader. There's three or four screws on the back of it. Remove those and you should be able to remove the loader. You can now throw both the loader and the shield out. We won't be using the parts anymore, and there's no use putting either of them back in.

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The last part to remove is the original connectors. All the screws should be out, so just gently slide it off the back. If you take a close look, you'll probably see some corrosion on the connectors. Some people have found no corrosion on their connectors but most have found rust. No wonder it took 30 minutes for you just to boot up your game to find out you had lost your saved game!